If you like to enjoy your Maker's Mark with a little water, then there's good news. You won't need to add your own water anymore because the distillery will do it for you. The Kentucky distillery behind Maker's Mark is taking some of the alcohol out of their product, going from 90 proof to 84 proof. "Fact is, demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it," wrote Maker's Mark executives Rob Samuels and Bill Samuels Jr. in an email to clients.

It's really a pretty ingenious way to deal with supply and demand. If you water down your bourbon, you can make more bottles to sell, and when you've lowered the alcohol content of your bourbon, nobody will buy it anymore. Problem solved!

You'd think that someone who makes a living making and selling whiskey would know how to properly spell it.

About that

Quote:

Maker's Mark is one of the few American-made whiskies to be labeled using the Scottish spelling "whisky". The majority of American distillers and the American general public tend to spell the word with the "e", although some brands (such as George Dickel and Old Forester) also use the spelling "whisky".

"He had no teeth, and he was slobbering all over himself. I'm thinking, 'You can have your money back, just get me out of here. Let me go be an accountant." I can't tell you how badly I wanted out of there."Denver rookie QB John Elway, on Jack Lambert, after Lambert and the Steelers knocked Elway out of his first game as a pro (1983).

You'd think that someone who makes a living making and selling whiskey would know how to properly spell it.

It is spelled properly.

Maker's Mark is one of the few American-made whiskies to be labeled using the Scottish spelling "whisky". The majority of American distillers and the American general public tend to spell the word with the "e", although some brands (such as George Dickel and Old Forester) also use the spelling "whisky".

Maker's Mark drew a storm of complaints when the venerable bourbon distiller announced this week it would be diluting its whisky due to anticipated supply shortages, but today it announced it is scrapping the plan.

"While we thought we were doing what's right, this is your brand - and you told us in large numbers to change our decision," the company said in a statement released today. "You spoke. We listened. And we're sincerely sorry we let you down."

Effective immediately, the company said, it was reversing its decision to lower the alcohol content of Maker's Mark, and would resume production at 45 percent alcohol by volume.

"The unanticipated dramatic growth rate of Maker's Mark is a good problem to have, and we appreciate some of you telling us you'd even put up with occasional shortages," said the statement, signed by COO Rob Samuels and chairman emeritus Bill Samuels Jr. "We promise we'll deal with them as best we can, as we work to expand capacity at the distillery."

The response came after angry Maker's Mark lovers took to Twitter to complain about the company lowering the alcohol content.

"Hey, @MakersMark Raise prices if you must, but don't mess with success! Ever heard of New Coke? #bourbon" wrote one Twitter user.

Maker's Mark had said it was forced to make the decision to decreasing the proof of its whisky from 90 proof to 84 proof because of "unforeseen demand." Bill Samuels Jr. had said that the brand wanted to keep its prices competitive.

"While not every part of the country has seen shortages yet, many have, and the demand is continuing to grow at a pace we've never before experienced. While we are investing today to expand capacity for the future, by producing 42 percent ABV Maker's Mark we'll be able to better meet our ongoing supply issues without compromising the taste," he said in a statement.

The one-brand company doesn't purchase bourbon from other distillers, making forecasting difficult. The age range of the whiskey, five years nine months to seven years, had allowed the brand to keep ahead of market shortages in the past.

The owners said they had tested the watered-down bourbon themselves and validated their own findings with consumer research. Both agreed that "there's no difference in the taste," Samuels said.

Maker's Mark President Bill Samuels, the founder's son, said the company focused almost exclusively on not altering the taste of the bourbon while stretching the available product and didn't consider the emotional attachment that customers have to the brand and its composition.

Bill Samuels said the company tinkered with how much water to add and keep the taste the same for about three months before making the announcement about the change Monday. It marked the first time the bourbon brand, more than a half-century old, had altered its proof or alcohol volume.

"Our focus was on the supply problem. That led to us focusing on a solution," he said. "We got it totally wrong."